What Are the Main Symptoms of Anxiety?

Anxiety is an unpleasant combination of emotions that is often accompanied by physical sensations such as heart palpitations (irregular heart beat), nausea, angina (chest pain), shortness of breath, tension headache, and nervousness which makes it hard for most people to relax. In some cases anxiety can lead to panic attacks. Many times these symptoms can mimic heart-related conditions (e.g. a heart attack) and as a result people may end up at their doctors office or the emergency room.

High levels of stress, though  a major contributor of anxiety, is different.  Stress lasts only a few hours to up to a day while anxiety may last up to six months.

What causes it? An underlying medical condition, genetic predispositions, a lack of coping skills, trauma, medication and nutritional deficiencies are some of the main causes of anxiety.

What are my treatment options? Generally, anxiety disorders are treated with medications, specific types of psychotherapy, or both. Treatment choices depend on the symptoms and what the individuals health care provider recommends for his or her patient.

Conventional approaches:
This commonly includes medication with SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) including effexor, celexa, cipralex and paxil. Medication as the sole treatment for anxiety has its obvious drawbacks. It is not a cure for the condition but instead a temporary solution leading to a dependency on the drug and withdrawal effects when coming off it. People often desribe their feelings as being flat on these medications - like they are a zombie. Sometimes this is better then the alternative of being anxious all day but othertimes it is replacing one issue with another. Other common side effects include, nausea, fatigue, headaches, weight gain and changes in sexual behaviour (erectile dysfunction and diminished libido).

Natural alternative or complimentary options:
Identifying the cause of anxiety is the first step towards recovery. Is it the result of a stressful environment at school or work, stress in some other aspect of your life (e.g. family) or perhaps you have a genetic predisposition, nutrient deficiencies or a lack of coping skills.

Depending on what the cause is, the following have been found to be very helpful in the treatment of anxiety:

• Yoga, pilates, tai chi or Qi Qong

• Meditation and deep breathing

• Taking a vacation

• Working on time management skills

• Acupuncture

• Relaxation Massage

• Councelling with a Psychotherapist or a Clinical Psychologist 

• Herbal medicine or homeopathy

If you wish to identify the cause of and treat your anxiety and stress with natural medicine come visit us at KIH clinic. We are located in right in the heart of the Kleinburg village. Fill out the form to the right of this page and we will get right back to you promptly with up-to-date, accurate and useful information on the next best steps in the treatment of your condition/concern.